Look after arthritic hips with these 3 easy yoga practices
Tracy Adshead is a yoga teacher specialising in yoga for seniors. She is passionate about bringing healing and healthy ageing to the community.
The genius of joints is that the more they move and bend, the more fluid circulates through them increasing the ability for even greater movement – a flawless system. Flawless, that is, until arthritis interrupts.
The largest joint in the body is the hip, if you are dealing with osteoarthritis in the hips there’s hopeful news – new research has found that a daily yoga practice can improve arthritic symptoms and put you in a good mood too. The three practices below will help to increase your hip joint range of motion.
A word of caution: Hip replacements may feel tight when practicing yoga and post-operative guidelines will be a challenge. It all depends upon the type of surgery you have undergone, whether it was partial hip replacement and so on. Ask your doctor before starting for advice about a safe range of movement.
If you feel uncomfortable or lightheaded at any time stop and rest or adjust to a more comfortable position.
1. Forward bend from seated
- Sit down on a sturdy kitchen chair, one that is not going to move underneath you.
- Slide yourself forward to sit on the edge of the chair and then place your knees about hip width apart, your feet hip width apart as well.
- Place your hands on your knees.
- Inhale and as you exhale slowly bring your heart down towards your knees, pause wherever is comfortable for you.
- As you inhale, bring yourself back to upright.
- Repeat 5 times.
2. Side angel pose
- From seated, take your knees wide and have your toes and your knees pointing in the same direction. Make sure your knees are sitting above your ankle joints.
- Lean to your left, place your left elbow on to your left knee.
- Feel free to stay here or inhale your right arm up above your head, fingertips reaching for the ceiling.
- Take 3 deep breaths and hold the pose. Repeat on the right side of the body.
3. Hip rotations
- Bring the knees back to hip-width-apart.
- Take a look your right knee, lift your right foot off the floor, take your right knee around in a small circle about the size of a side plate.
- Try to synchronise the movement with your breath.
- Go 3 to 5 times in a clockwise movement, the reverse it and go 3 – 5 times in an anti-clockwise movement.
- As you become comfortable with this practice increase the circles to 7 times in each direction.
This practice takes the hips through the “three degrees of freedom” – forwards and backwards, external rotation of the joint and circular rotation. Collectively helping to increase flexibility and stability.
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